GlowQuote

At the time I didn’t realise how lucky I
was, but now in hindsight, I am so grateful to have grown up in a time and
place where we ate fresh, nutritious, wholesome, REAL food! ☺ Growing up eating real food, (as opposed to the processed/ packaged/genetically modified/ nutritionally-deficient stuff), definitely gave me a head start on
health during my formative years.

I was born in the mid-sixties in Cape Town,
and one of my earliest food memories is of going to the fruit and veggie market
with my Mum and loading up the car with bags and trays of brightly coloured
fresh fruit and veggies.

And twice a week the fruit and
veggie man would come to our street with his horse and cart, which was loaded
with produce fresh from the farm.

Everything we ate in those days was fresh, not frozen and locally produced
– Cape Town didn’t yet have a supermarket.
We bought fresh meat from the local butcher (no hormone and antiobiotic-fed
animals in those days); fresh fish from the local fishermen who would sell
their catch straight from the sea, and fresh milk and cream were delivered daily
from the dairy.

Growing up with a health-conscious Mum also
gave me a great advantage in the nutrition stakes. Biscuits, cakes, fizzy
drinks, crisps, ice cream and choccies were only an occasional treat.

Many of my school-friends were indulged a
lot more than I was, and this lead to a lot of nagging and complaining from me! ☺
When Nik-Naks (bright orange, cheesy maize snacks) were first launched in South Africa, some
of my friends would get them in their school lunchbox. How I nagged for those! ☺

My Mum’s answer to this was to slice
carrots into matchsticks. “Just pretend they’re Nik-Naks”, she said.

But it wasn’t quite the same!

And what really got to me was one of the
school mums who would give each of her children a tuck bag of chocs, sweets and
crisps as they got into the car, after school.
I knew the children were adopted – and I wanted
to be adopted! I thought being adopted was the luckiest thing ever! Your parents
actually came to choose you out of all the other children, and you got a big bag of treats every day after school! ☺☺
But unfortunately, those two children became very overweight teenagers and
one had really bad, pimply skin. I didn’t think they were so lucky after that.

One of my favourite things as a child was visiting my friend’s house for their
Saturday night movie show.We were each given a box of Quality Street
chocolates. That for me was the height of luxury! My own box of chocolates to
enjoy while watching a movie! And it wasn’t even my birthday. ☺
As it turned out, my friend’s mum became increasingly obese and unhealthy and
passed away when he was a teenager. Not so lucky either. ☹

And then we got our first supermarket in Cape Town. And soon after that 1970’s
instant, packaged food arrived at the tip of Africa.
My Mum was having none of it! She’d grown up in wartime Britain, with poor
nutrition and believed in the benefits of a nutritious diet to boost and
maintain good health.

But while my health-conscious Mum was
reading “Let’s eat right to keep fit”
by nutritionist and health advocate, Adelle Davis and feeding us sprouts and courgette
patties, I was nagging her for frozen burgers and instant pudding and
specifically, Bird’s Angel Delight.

I’d tasted it at friends’ homes (Please Mum! So-and-So’s mother buys it. ☺)And we could even make it ourselves! Just add milk and beat it with
the mixer and easy-peasy, there it was – a creamy, frothy, sweet, yummy pudding
– I agreed it was heavenly, just like the packaging said! ☺

"Angel Delight. Ask any kid." I definitely agreed! ☺

And as I got older, I indulged in terrible eating habits. Even though I’ve
always loved and eaten good, real food, I also have a weakness for junk and
sugar. Some days I’d eat nothing but chocolate. And lots of it. I’m a
chocoholic for sure! And don’t get me started on cereal – I could easily crunch
my way through a box of Rice Krispies for supper, or any of the sugar and
salt-laden breakfast ‘foods’ that pass themselves off
as healthy.

When we’re young, we think we’re invincible. ☺ I wasn’t too bothered with what was going on on the inside. It was
all about what I looked like on the outside.

But as I got into my 40s, I began listening to my body as it was crying out for
some healthy attention!
Luckily I’ve always known about good nutrition, if not always practised it. ☺

“As I
see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in
yourself.“ ~ Adelle Davis

Nowdays I do make nutrition a priority. And I enJOY it!
I love my juices, soups, salads, veggies, seeds, nuts and fresh fish
and chicken.

And there’s no doubt that when you feel healthier, you feel happier! ☺ It’s true that when we put the Good Stuff in, we get the Good Stuff
out – we feel more energised and vibrant, and we’re able to cope better with
Life and to do so much more.

But that’s not to say I don’t still love chocolates and pastries. And I do still
enJOY them – but not in vast quantities, and not every day.☺

You can definitely feel the difference in
your body and your mood when you eat REAL nutritious food! It’s like high-performance fuel for your engine.
When you drink a glass of water, or a freshly-squeezed juice you can actually feel it
right away!

You can feel the Good Stuff zinging through your cells! ☺

A large Green Juice to go - giving me some zing while I get my shopping done!

So here’s to eating and drinking more of the Good Stuff – to Rocking our Health
and Happiness and Getting our Glow On! ☺

Below are links to articles, advice and
recipes for healthy eating and nutrition from some of my favourite wellness
experts :

Smiling tunes us into the Good Stuff – it releases natural feel-good chemicals
into our bodies - an instant shot of Happy, Healthy Goodness boosting every
cell. So the more we smile, the better we feel – isn’t that fab?!

Since I’ve been running on the promenade for the last few years, I’ve had fun
playing a little game with myself and make it a point to smile and greet everyone
I pass!

Some return the smiles and greetings. And
some don’t ☺
Over this time, I’ve started recognising some of the ‘regulars’ like myself,
who are out on the promenade every day.
I still smile and greet the people who don’t greet me - and I have a little smile
to myself when they don’t.
I don’t know whether they pretend not to see me, or maybe they’re so
preoccupied they don’t notice.☺
But there are some people who just refuse to smile! Doesn’t stop me though.☺

About a year ago I noticed a new ‘regular’
on the promenade – a little old Chinese lady, who must be in her late 70’s at
least. She’s fit and trim and she goes out for a brisk walk every day.
The first time I ran past her, I smiled and wished her Good Morning. She didn’t
respond.
I kept going and smiled and greeted her every day. After a few weeks she smiled
back! That made my day! ☺
The next day she smiled and waved!
And the time after that she smiled, waved and giggled!☺ What a breakthrough! I was delighted.
Now we smile and greet each other every day – I always ask how she’s doing,
although she doesn’t speak a word of English. And she giggles back and says
something in Chinese. I love our friendly exchange!

A warm, friendly smile breaks down barriers
and speaks every language. But it’s not always acceptable in all cultures
(especially between the sexes), as I discovered on a camel trek in
the Negev desert with the Bedouins.
We were told by our guide that as women, we were NOT to smile or to look the
Bedouin men in the eye if we were talking to them. I battled with this as it’s
my natural instinct to smile and be friendly. But I didn’t want to get myself
into trouble.☺
We each had a guide to look after us and our camels, and I wrapped a scarf around my face to hide my smile - although I’m sure it could be
seen in my eyes.

That’s the thing about a
genuine smile. It’s more than just moving your lips and showing your teeth. You see
that a lot in photos – especially when people are posing for the camera, but
the smile doesn’t reach their eyes. I love smiling eyes. And you’ll notice that
not many people have them. ☺A smile that comes from your heart is a genuine
expression of Love, kindness, JOY and connection to each other.

The day that I left my ex-partner and drove
away from our home to my new flat was one of the hardest and saddest days of my
life. I remember it clearly.

I stopped at a traffic light and sat there
with tears rolling down my face.I
noticed a guy in the lane next to me smiling at me. I didn’t return his smile.
“Please give me a smile”, he said.
“I can’t”, I replied. “I’ve just left my
partner”.
So he showed me how it was done by pulling up the corners of his mouth with his
hands. Bingo! That worked! ☺I smiled at him and giggled a little,
through my tears.
He smiled back, clapped his hands and told me that had made his day!
I smiled some more – grateful for kindness and connection from a stranger – encouraging
me at the difficult start of a new chapter in my life.

"Sometimes your joy is
the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your
joy." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

You never know how much your smile can
UPlift somebody else. And smiling always make You feel
good. So smile to YourSelf, smile with the world and you’ll put a smile in your
Soul and Get Your Glow On! ☺

This gorgeous pic of a baby harp seal,
taken by wildlife photographer Keren Su, never fails to put a smile on my face.
And it’s made people smile all around the world. That really is Spreading the
Glow! ☺

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Hi and thanks for stopping by! ☺︎
I'm an inspirational writer, motivational speaker and presenter in the field of Personal Growth and Development.
In 2010 I founded GloWoman® to inspire women to live their most emPowered and JOYful lives and Get their Glow On.
GloWoman® is an expression of what comes naturally to me: Positivity, Encouragement, Inspiration and Connection.
I offer inspirational talks; private consultations and mentor sessions and individual, group and corporate workshops to help women embrace their personal power, Rock their Happiness, shine their Light and Get their Glow ON!
When We Get our Glow ON, we CAN Light UP our World! ☺︎
Please get in touch, I'm looking foward to hearing from you :) Email me: bets{at}glowoman.org